Seventh Grave and No Body

Is it popcorn supernatural sexytime or is it a trip down 'burque nostalgia lane?

Why can't we have both!? Okay, okay, we can have both.

And the trip is always more fun than the destination. Gimmie everything Chili please, even the sexytime, and I'll forgive the fact that the basic plot is just the increasing danger of Charley's father-in-law.

Hell hounds? Okay. No problem. I guess it's the requisite stepping stone before we get to the really good stuff. And I don't really count certain relationship milestones as the good stuff. It's almost always... ho-hum usual. Sorry, Reyes fans! This is getting old.

BUT all the supernatural and the quirky personalities? That's golden. :)

Disclaimer: This review will be biased and unbalanced. I have love for this series and my objectivity suffers proportionally. I truly left off 1/2 star just because I'm certain there are probably flaws (all books have them) but my love for Charlie and the gang have blinded me to whatever they might be.

So a couple of days ago I was feeling rather sorry for myself. I injured my back – nothing serious, truly; just enough to put a hitch in my gitalong and make me feel mopey and old. My husband came home and put a book package on the coffee table. After I pointed out the cruelty of putting a new book on a surface that was just out of my reach (can't bend down, of course), he handed it to me and upon opening it discovered my copy of show more Seventh Grave and No Body. Proof that God takes pity on me, because I NEVER get my pre-ordered books on release day; living on the tail end of the world means everything always takes days later to arrive than it does for the U.S./Europe.

Suddenly my back injury was a spend-all-day-reading free card, and boy howdy did I use it.

So in the last book prophesies about Charlie's existence and her role in the final battle became clearer. In this one, Charlie starts finding out what she's truly capable of. Reyes always told her she was more powerful than any other being, but Charlie always seemed to view it as rhetoric. Now she finds out it isn't, but that she can still get her ass handed to her when she leasts expects it. Circumstances are also forcing her to confront her immaturity too; big changes are coming and she can't keep living in the shallow end of the maturity pool. I always loved Charlie - even when her sass and snark were obvious coping mechanisms - but I quite like the (only slightly) more mature version too. She still hides behind sarcasm and smart-ass banter, but she's also utterly selfless and has a firm grip on what's important.

As with all the books, there are several story lines running simultaneously; human mysteries as well as mythical ones. I like this style - it keeps things moving and avoids that mid-book bogging down that sometimes happens. My only complaint: one of the story lines (a small one that has no meaning to the overall plot of this book) doesn't get wrapped up and I wanted to know what happened. The sub-plot setting reminded me of the X-Files episode "Closure" and I was sorry not to find out how it ends.

I'm not going to say more - although I could babble ad naseum, because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Things happen. Big things. Suffice it to say that I loved reading it, I'm sorry it's over, and how many days until book 8? show less

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads.

*** Review may contain spoilers for previous installments in series. ***

Charley Davidson is back for her seventh round of cray-cray situations, murder n' mayhem, and grim reaper pandemonium, only this time her snark is the sole weapon in her arsenal because she has to do it all sans caffeine. Fortunately for her, she has a strong crew of secondary characters at her back, and in this installment she's going to need every single one of them! This audiobook was emotionally taxing; I went from laughing out loud at the heroine's lunacy, to weeping with joy about that THING we've all been waiting for, to blubbering over the death of one of their own. But, this novel wasn't just about the feels because it also featured show more mucho plot threads, wonderful epiphanies, and made some pretty significant mythology headway. The overall experience was rendered even more perfect with the delightful Lorelei King at the narrative reins.

I like listening to these books because they are light, fun, and typically don't require much thought—ear candy at its best! SEVENTH GRAVE AND NO BODY changed all of that because every chapter, while entertaining, was also crucial to this series' overall story arc. Charley solved a ten year old case in fifteen minutes, and even though that initial plot thread was quickly overshadowed by several others, it was still super important because it was related to the twelve, and pulled agent Carlson into Davidson's inner circle. Then, the priest's minor haunting episode brought Heaven and Hell to the fore by introducing the Vatican and bounty hunter angles. And finally, don't even get me started on the suicide kidnappings and Silvia Star! There were a lot of seemingly unrelated incidents in this installment, however upon closer inspection every single one was part of the bigger picture. Genius!

Charley never fails to crack me up with her t-shirt sayings, eccentric naming habits, and outlandish sense of humour. Her lack of progression as a character used to frustrate me, but the evolution of her abilities, and that of her sidekicks more than make up for her shortcomings in that area. Cookie was as terrific as always, and it appears as though her daughter, Amber, will play a pivotal role in this story as well. Reyes isn't quite as evil as he used to be, but both Charley and The Dealer definitely kept him on his toes. I actually got a kick out of Swopes for once, and even Ubie managed to surprise me. There were unfortunately two deaths in this installment; Belvedere's which was a given (haha!), and one other that broke my heart.

Darynda Jone's writing style is without a doubt addictive; however it's Lorelei King's voice that keeps me coming back for more. She adds a whole new level to Charley with her saucy tone, and uncanny ability to switch from silly to serious in the same breath. I gave this audiobook five stars, but it should be noted that the narrator earned at least one of them all by herself thanks to her A+ delivery. It takes longer to listen than it does to read, yet with King in your ear those extra hours feel like a gift instead of a burden. This novel was one of the most suspenseful in this series to date, and that aspect really came through in Lorelei's performance via her character voices, and the high impact action scenes.

SEVENTH GRAVE AND NO BODY was audiobook magic, plain and simple! show less

*Book source ~ Library

Things are getting hairy. Not No-shav-ember hairy, but dangerous hairy. Charley Davidson, Private Investigator, consultant to the APD, fiancée to the son of Satan and grim reaper extraordinaire is having a bad week. But that’s nothing new for Charley. She’s used to things going to Hell in a hand basket around her, but that’s never stopped her from solving cases for clients, the police and the FBI. However, she’s never had the Twelve after her before. Talk about putting a crimp in her style. There’s a lot at stake, but nothing and no one stops Charley from helping people.

Ohmygawd! I love this series so much! Each and every book is a delight with everything I love in a book: paranormal, steaminess, humor, show more mystery, intrigue, steaminess, excellent characters, terrific world and steaminess. I will say that Charley does frustrate me at times when it seems as if she’s being too stupid to live. However, it has finally dawned on me (it only took 7 books) that Charley is smarter than people give her credit, myself included. She doesn’t secretly have a death wish even it seems so at times and while she doesn’t always think things all the way through, she can think quickly and on the fly. Plus, she’s coming more and more into her powers and getting closer to figuring out what everything means. It helps that there’s more info about what the prophecy means. Man, Darynda Jones is so stingy with this information. I must have this information!

Crimes are solved, people get hurt, people die, dead people show up, power gets thrown around, The Dealer is around a lot, the Twelve are badass, the mystery of Mr. Wong still hasn’t been answered, but Garrett’s paternity issue gets settled. So much goodness, so many feels! Wow! Now, the wait for book 8 begins. *taps foot impatiently* show less

4.5/5
“Charley Davidson, Private Investigator, Because No One Is Better At Investigating Your Privates”



Mrs. Jones gets more and more comfortable with her particular type of wit in each book, and I LOVE it. The catch phrases, the t-shirts, the never-ending banter, - it's an amazingly comfortable routine, and every time I slip into it I berate myself: why didn't I pick up the book sooner?

What changes this time is that Reyes becomes noticeably more humanised. The stronger, the more powerful Charley is the more he exposes his vulnerability. Don't worry, gals! It only makes him hotter.

Seventh Grave is as dynamic as all Darynda Jones' books. Charley and Reyes team up with Garrett and The Dealer to try and figure out how to fight The show more Twelve, but there are also a lot of in between stories: the missing bodies, the odd suicide notes, whining ghosts and a confusing prophecy.

Include into this Cookie and Ubie, Amber and annoying Reyes Farrow fan club, Beep and the nuisance of planning a marriage, and future Mrs. Farrow has a lot on her plate.

There were hard to swallow sacrifices, surprising twists and an intriguing side character of Daeva. I am really enjoying his involvement and can't wait to see how it'll all work out for him in the long run. Until then read it, it's a gorgeous story! show less

Charley is back again and, as usual, she has lots of problems to deal with. As if being pregnant itself wasn’t hard enough, Charley also now has to deal with the ghost of her ex-BFF, Jessica, her father is missing, there’s a demon possessing a house and writing her name on the walls, there’s a new ghost who has a missing body, a new case with Ubie, and the twelve hellhounds who have been released to kill her, of course. I would lie down and die, but Charley takes it all in stride and does what she does best; getting into trouble, pissing off Reyes, and making the reader laugh all the way through.

I loved Seventh Grave and No Body. I had high expectations for it and, I’m happy to say, it exceeded them. I love this series and it show more seems to only get better with each book. Charley’s wit was just as sharp and amusing as usual. You see a little more of a tender side of Reyes in Seventh Grave and I liked that. I almost cried at certain points when he talked about his feelings about Charley. I was a little worried about how Charley would be her usual self, now that she’s “knocked up”, as she put it, but to the utter frustration of Reyes, she’s exactly the same. She does have added protection this time in the form of “the dealer”, but she’s still a risk taker and just as headstrong as ever. The secondary characters continue to add their part to the story and are just as loveable as before. Cookie really helps out a lot in Seventh Grave, showing that she can be a pretty damn good investigator herself. As usual with this series, Seventh Grave is a wild ride with action around every corner and plenty of suspense that kept me turning the pages so quickly that I finished it in less than twenty-four hours. The only bad part now is having to wait for the next book, Eighth Grave After Dark, which is due to come out in May of 2015. I highly recommend Seventh Grave and No Body.
You can read more of my reviews at bookwormbookreviews.com show less

When I discovered this series, I was just coming from reading a book that was part of a series I started out loving and ending up hating because it was just the same plot every single time. I was hesitant about picking up another series but something about this one made me take a second look and I was so glad I took the chance. If you are looking for a new series, love paranormal romance, and love to laugh, you will not be sorry. Just be sure to start with the first book in the series, First Grave on the Right. If you plan to purchase the first book, stop right here and come back once you catch up.

Charley Davidson is the main character and as usual, she is full of snark. While her personality always drips sarcasm, this book is show more particularly humorous because she has decided to give up caffeine and isn't exactly having the easiest time of it. There are several plot lines. First, the twelve beasts are hunting Charley so there are several large, fast-paced action scenes where she, her fiance (and Son of Satan) Reyes, and her other friends/protectors are fighting for their lives. Second, someone is kidnapping people and leaving suicide notes in their wake, and third, bodies are being dug up and their ghosts are asking Charley for help. If you have read any of these books, you already know that Charley is not the best when it comes to decision making, and, as usual, this drives Reyes crazy. Even I wanted to slap her a few times. However, all of her bad decisions are well intended so I guess that makes up for it. Plus it also helps to know you have Satan's son on your side, and the fact that he is tall, dark, and handsome doesn't hurt either.

All of the characters in this book are engaging. I especially love Cookie and Ubie, who have finally gotten together, and Osh becomes quite endearing in this story as well, even when he is showing off his deadly demonic side. Mr. Wong is still hovering in the corner of Charley's apartment and I can't wait to find out who he really is and what his purpose is in Charley's life.

Just fair warning, these books will be hard to set aside so leave plenty of time for reading. They will all have you laughing out loud but they also have some sad parts, some gore (but not too graphic), and a lot of coffee drinking... decaf this time, of course. show less